What's the closest you have been to death?

[Wacky Racer]

As per thread title.

In my youth, when I was about nineteen, myself and a few mates were messing about in an old quarry.

There was a stone wall about fifteen metres high and for a dare I decided to try and climb it.

The first few metres were easy enough, but when I got three quarters of the way up, hand holes were few and far between, so I decided to do the sensible thing and go back down.

I looked down to the bottom, and froze in terror, one slip and I would have broken every bone in my body on the rocks below

I was petrified.

Eventually after about an hour I made it down to the bottom in a cold sweat.

I still think about how stupid I was even today.

Rock climbers must be crazy.

[benm3evo]

Hesitated to answer when the Mrs asked if I thought she'd put on weight.

[Tango13]

About 10mm

When I was 17 I smashed my femur up and as part of the bone came out the side of my leg it missed the femoral artery by about 10mm, if the bone had damaged the artery that high up on my leg I would've bled to death in about 3~4 minutes.

[Voldemort]

The first couple of days after the stem cell transplant were deeply unpleasant. I didn't think I was going to get through it.

[Muppet007]

Landing at Lukla airport
Taking a bus from Lukla (kinda of, hand to fly into a field in the next valley first, but can't remember the name) to Kathmandu with the back wheel hanging over the edge of a very big drop, on lots of occasions
Almost stepping on a King Cobra in a jungle in Thailand

I'm sure I have more.

[Tenacious]

When I was 17, I had quite a horrendous car crash (Mk3 Escort, don't have a crash in those). Lots of people thought I had snuffed it due to the state of my face and car and got pulled out of the wreckage. I came round by the roadside with a load of gasps from the bystanders. The ambulance crew took pics for training purposes and the hospital doc said he wss quite amazed I survived let alone walking by myself into the back of the ambulance.

[king arthur]

Three years ago. Bilateral pulmonary embolism. I blacked out in a car park and was away, dreaming about going on some journey somewhere, but it was not my time yet and I woke up face down on the tarmac with people around me. Later in hospital the doctor said he normally only sees blood clots like that in people who have already died.

[Chris Type R]

I came pretty close to drowning as a young child, fortunately as I was going under I managed to kick off something with my foot to get back to where I could stand. This was in a river which met the sea at high tide, so the bottom was sand of variable height.

[Janluke]

Oct 29th 1995 I fell 60 feet off an electricity pylon, hit the side on the way down, caught the outside strand of tensioned barbwire at the base with my safety helmet. Various broken bones and cuts. 13 operations over the next 12 months. Right leg failed to heal and was amputated below the knee.

All well now

[boyse7en]

Two times spring to mind as properly close calls.

About 20 years ago i was kayaking and got turned over in a stopper and couldn't right it. The water pressure was pressing me so hard against the side of the boat i was struggling to get clear. As i got the stage of thinking i couldn't hold my breath any longer I had a strange moment of when everything just went quiet. I just felt the panic subside and, probably because i relaxed, I wriggled my way free and burst to the surface.

Second one was only a couple of months ago. Out for a bike ride with a friend, we stopped at a T-junction. Car coming from behind us pulled out to turn right without looking properly and was hit by a car coming from the right (an MGB, out of interest). The impact caused the car to spin round and skid sideways straight at us. As we were stood astride our bikes, with one foot still clipped in, we couldn't run or back up quickly so just stood there as the MG ground to halt about two feet away from my front wheel. Ruined the ride.

[Tye Green]

put my TVR Griffith upside down due to a lack off driving talent. unusually, on that particular day I had the roof up which introduces the roll-over hoop.

[Terminator X]

As kids we used to play on those electrical sub stations that you get in every neighbourhood. Yep jumping up and down on them.

Couple of times when pissed I have run across railway tracks!

Also as a kid I tried to swim out to a raft in the sea, made it half way then started to panic. Put feet down and chance in a million there was a wall or something under the water to stand on.

TX.

[Riley Blue]

Now probably, I'm 74

[otolith]

Drunk students trying to run between the steps on the sea wall between waves. Ended up clinging to the wall while the wave bashed over it. Stupid. Nobody drowned, but everyone got very wet and cold and realised what could have happened.

[POIDH]

I had a 70mph-zero moment on the motorway with cars spinning and bouncing of trucks around me - yet I merely had some debris from the cars rain onto my roof and ended up stationary in outside lane surrounded by 7 other damaged vehicles.

I had a car cutting a blind corner on a country lane - I was going the other direction on a bike. His mirror grazed my arm...

I was pinned in a kayak on a Grade 5 gorge for a few minutes - just about head over the water.

[768]

Not sure, depends what close is. I've had a few guns pointed at me, not sure that's much closer than driving past oncoming traffic in terms of physical proximity to death. Had a ruptured appendix which was apparently a few hours from death. Crashed a car. Been held under water by siblings. Walked into desert without knowing whether I would be able to find water within the distance I could walk.

While we're still here we're always getting closer to our inevitable end though, so, now?

[Sheets Tabuer]

Few times as a kid, spent a year in hospital and this one time I felt great, 1st time I'd woke up in a month and opened my eyes at 3am to find a vicar at the end of the bed reading the last rites, I was wtf I feel great

Drove in to a river once too.

[toasty]

Standing on a train platform you're only a step/push away from a grisly ending.

I've also had two head on motorbike crashes but had no major injuries.

I had life threatening pericarditis but easily treated once identified.

[bmwmike]

king arthur said:

Three years ago. Bilateral pulmonary embolism. I blacked out in a car park and was away, dreaming about going on some journey somewhere, but it was not my time yet and I woke up face down on the tarmac with people around me. Later in hospital the doctor said he normally only sees blood clots like that in people who have already died.

Interesting. Did you have pain with it?

Closest to death is probably falling out of a pub which opens onto a road, and I fell backwards onto the road just as a car went past my head, felt it in my hair. The shock of the onlockers as i went down was enough to tell me it was going to be close, and it apparently looked like it hit me, but not a scratch.

Edited by bmwmike on Thursday 4th July 11:47

[Wacky Racer]

Janluke said:

Oct 29th 1995 I fell 60 feet off an electricity pylon, hit the side on the way down, caught the outside strand of tensioned barbwire at the base with my safety helmet. Various broken bones and cuts. 13 operations over the next 12 months. Right leg failed to heal and was amputated below the knee.

All well now

Blimey! Glad you are OK.